The Intro

Leah: Motherhood, the biggest challenge a woman will ever face. Being a Mom comes with highs, lows, unbelievable joy, utter frustration and everything in between. Being a Medical/Special Needs Mom, whew, you have to bring your A game for this stuff. If you are new to the world of being a Medical/Special Needs Mom, whether from your child’s birth or a condition later in life, bienvenue, welcome. I’d like to be able to assure you that it will get easier, but I can’t. I can say, you will learn to adapt. You will pull strength from places within you that you didn’t even know existed, especially when you feel you’re at your weakest. You’ll think of what your child has to go through and it will bolster you. Because you watch your child face each day with strength and determination and know you must do the same for them. You will be overcome, at some point or many points, by the crushing weight of this new life. This new life, that comes with endless doctor appointments, specialist appointments, therapy appointments, surgeries/procedures, hospital stays, adaptive equipment… The list is extensive as is the stress. But, you will also experience joy and pride like you’ve never felt before. Especially when your child reaches a milestone or an accomplishment, medically or physically. Because you know just how unbelievably hard your child had to work for any milestone or accomplishment. Most importantly, you will become your child’s biggest advocate and loudest, most enthusiastic cheerleader. Welcome to the cheerleading squad! You will find, while well meaning, a lot of people will have advice for you. People that don’t understand your situation, will inevitably try to offer you parenting advice. Parenting advice that absolutely doesn’t pertain to you, your child, or your situation. People will make, not very well thought out, comments to you about your child. You have 3 options really, 1. Educate these people. 2. Pick a fight. 3. Or, smile and just walk away. Choose your battles, but, save your strength and sanity for what you have to deal with every day. You will often hear this, “I don’t know how you do it?” or “I could never do what you do.” Let me just say this, loud and clear, for everyone in the back, WHEN THIS IS THE LIFE YOU ARE GIVEN, YES, YOU CAN! We’re Moms, we pull up our big girl pants and do whatever needs to be done for our child. When we are utterly overwhelmed, we break down and cry. Then, we pick ourselves back up and keep moving forward. But, to those people that see us struggle in this life sometimes, thank you for noticing us. Thank you for noticing me. Thank you to the waitress that noticed and commended me for spending 5 minutes cutting up my son’s food and feeding him first, before I ever took a bite of my own food. Thank you to all the people that notice my strain while lifting my 12 year old “child” in or out of his car seat or in and out of his adaptive stroller and offer to help me. Thank you to the school secretary for ignoring my stressed out, scatterbrained, unkempt appearance, and praising me on how organized I am with anything to do with my son. Thank you to the dietician for applauding my efforts to lift my son’s spirits back up after he had a disparaging meltdown about the unfairness of being a wheelchair bound kid. Thank you to the therapist for noticing how my son and I interact. For noticing how special our relationship is, how we go off into our own little world while having a witty, intellectual, or silly conversation. The life of a Medical/Special Needs Mom and child can often be lonely and isolating. It feels good to know people can still see us. I’m Warren’s Mom, aka a Medical/Special Needs Mom. Warren is the smartest, sweetest, funniest, wittiest, most caring, empathetic, coolest, tech savvy kid with cerebral palsy. He is my absolute world and I love him with my everything. Welcome to an insight into our world. Some days, it might be hilarious, it might be heartbreaking other days. That’s just how we roll. Warren will be chiming in here as well, this is our joint venture. Warren: I hate being classed as, “medical” when I barely have anything wrong with me. But yet, you have a couple things on the physical side and they slap a label on you and automatically classify you as, “medical”. The weird looks, not looking at you, holding you back because they think you can’t do it, I hate all of it. But, when you try to show them that you’re just as normal as everybody else, some people won’t look. The people that do look are the people that really care. They are the people that have your back, no matter what. They make up your neighborhood, they make up your world, they make up your universe. They are your friends, your family, and the all around good people in this world. When being confronted by another kid or an adult, you have a few options. 1. You can ignore them and “walk” away. 2. You can try to educate them, (even though they probably won’t listen). 3. You can “accidentally” run over their foot with your powerchair. 4. Or, you can go on a witty rant about how they picked the wrong person to mess with and watch how shocked and confused they are about how smart you are. (This option is my personal favorite. They will probably leave you alone for good). You know, there was this little baby, who had a very slim chance of surviving when he came out. But, those doctors who reacted as quickly as they did to save this baby’s life, were incredible. You might be asking, who is this baby? I will tell you, that baby is the same witty kid sitting here, writing this story. That baby, was me. I am Warren Dunne. I am the kid that seemingly always has a smile on his face that everyone is extremely impressed by. But, the person who gave me the confidence to write this was, my Mom, Leah Dunne. She always tries to keep me in high spirits. She always tries to do everything she can to make life as fair as possible. You know, she’s always been that type of awkward person who keeps to herself. But, when you get to know her, you know that she is a really good person, and an even better Mom. I wouldn’t be here without all of the people who didn’t give up on me. But, I especially wouldn’t be here without that loving, caring Mom. My Mom, who fights tooth and nail every day to make my life as good as possible. Those are the people that you really want on your side. And boy, is my life a good one. Leah: Gah! That boy melts my heart!!!!! <3<3<3 Warren: Geez, I wouldn’t want to melt your heart, that would probably be bad. ;) Leah: Well, I don’t think we have to genuinely worry about that happening, it’s not like my heart is made of wax, or plastic… or chocolate. Warren: Okay, so we’re being smart now huh? But, then, why did you say, “melt” when your heart can’t melt? Leah: Wasn’t it better than saying you make my heart implode or something? Melting is better than imploding… Just saying. Warren: I’ve got nothing.